TEAM BUILDING

Feb

2024

Five Tips for Building Your Team

I have a family of five. Sometimes we have gone into the city to help at a homeless shelter. This is a great experience but it is limited if only a couple of us go. When all five go, we serve more people faster.

Similarly, as a business leader, one of the most important factors in your success is the team you surround yourself with. Building a healthy, efficient team is essential for the success and growth of your company. You may be faster alone, but you will go farther with a healthy team.

Let’s look at some areas to consider when building your team.

Right People

First, it’s essential to hire the right people. Look for individuals who not only have the required skills and experience, but also align with the values and culture of your company. These individuals will help drive your business forward and contribute to its success. When values align this ensures your culture will not become tainted.

Team Environment

Once you’ve brought the right people on board, it’s crucial to create an environment that fosters teamwork and collaboration. Encourage open communication and create opportunities for team members to collaborate on projects and tasks. A healthy team supports each other and works towards a common goal.

Develop Them

Provide your team with ongoing training and development opportunities. This not only helps them grow and improve their skills, but it also shows that you value and invest in your employees. By investing in your team, you’re investing in the future success of your company.

You may ask, “what if I train them and they leave?” What if you don’t and they stay? Helping them grow and encouraging them to help others grow will only benefit everyone on the team.

Positive Culture

Early on I did not realize the power of culture. The reality is culture will eat your leadership for lunch. Team members who feel valued, respected, and appreciated will provide much better effort and pass this on. A positive company culture not only leads to higher employee satisfaction, but also increased productivity and performance. (There is much more that could be said about this so I have included some past blogs and additional reading on the topic at the end of this post.)

Example

Finally, it’s important to lead by example. As the leader, your actions and behavior set the tone for the rest of the team. Demonstrate integrity, accountability, and a strong work ethic. By leading by example, you’ll inspire your team to do the same and create a healthy, positive work environment.

Building a healthy team takes time, effort, and dedication, but the rewards are well worth it. A strong, efficient team is essential for the success and growth of your business. Which of these areas do you need to focus on during the next week or month? Need help with developing your culture? Contact me to discover ways to help strengthen your culture and grow your team at the same time. Lead Well!

Recommended Books on Culture

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

Culture Rules by Mark Miller

Past Blog Posts on Culture

https://wheelercoachingsystems.com/8-types-of-culture-which-is-yours/

https://wheelercoachingsystems.com/culture-what-makes-it/

https://wheelercoachingsystems.com/five-tips-on-building-a-healthy-culture/

https://wheelercoachingsystems.com/generosity-a-key-to-team-culture/

Jun

2020

Three Keys to Building a Team

I was providing a leadership training to a local company and someone afterwards asked about sport coaching because of my past experience. As we talked I reflected on how some teams I had been around were very successful and some never got traction. Talent is a factor and work ethic, but three key components came to mind that impact every team regardless of talent or work ethic.

People Skills

“I have yet to find the person, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.” Dale Carnegie

Many of us have had task oriented leaders . . . unfortunately I know I have been that person. That is ok, but as leaders we develop our ability to connect as we grow our people skills. As John Maxwell says in his book Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, connecting requires energy.

Leadership is inspiring and influencing others and that requires the ability to connect with others. Once I was talking to a leader who was starting a new position and as we discussed what he was doing as he began the role he said “building relationships.” As a task-oriented person that was a huge reminder to build an effective team I must connect with those I will lead and lead with. The ability to form strong relationships will strongly influence the second element.

Culture

Sports leadership expert Jeff Janssen in his excellent book on culture How to Build and Sustain a Championship Culture reminds us multiple facets exist in a culture, but provides a simple definition:

“At its very basic level, culture is as simple as how things are done in your program. It is your program’s typical Way of doing things.”

Some teams I’ve been around created a culture where talented players started regardless of their effort in practice or elsewhere. This ultimately led to the demise of the team. On the other hand, I’ve seen teams create a “we” culture where everyone contributes their strengths to the common goal and they become champions. Be aware of your team or organization’s culture because it critically impacts results.

Leadership Style

In his book Primal Leadership Daniel Goleman discusses various leadership styles that either draw people in or repel them. He states: “Optimistic, enthusiastic leaders more easily retain their people, compared with those bosses who tend toward negative moods.” Maybe you’ve heard it said another way: people don’t leave companies, they leave leaders.

I explained the various leadership styles Goleman discussed in a previous post so I will not go in detail here. We all have a natural style, but does it serve us in every situation and what impact does it make on our organization?

People skills, culture and leadership approach are not mutually exclusive. They integrate to create the team. How aware are you of your organization’s culture, your people skills or even how you lead? Could it help you to have someone come alongside you to help think into these areas so you can improve both your personal results and the results of your team? If so, contact me.

Where we are now is not where we have to remain. If we are willing to be uncomfortable, stretch and grow then we can take our team to new heights. Lead Well.